Bamako Paints for Gaza: An Artistic Initiative Expressing Mali's Deep Solidarity with the Palestinian People

SadaNews - The Malian capital, Bamako, witnessed an exceptional artistic and humanitarian initiative titled "Paint for Gaza", organized by the Union of Ambassadors (UDA) in partnership with the Embassy of Palestine and the Honorary Consulate of Slovakia, with broad participation of nearly sixty participants from various categories: professional artists, amateurs, children, families, in addition to diplomats from several countries.

The workshop took place in a café in Bamako, where the hall transformed into a vibrant creative space under the supervision of Malian artists, who engaged attendees in painting works that express solidarity with Palestine, especially with the children of Gaza. The artworks were laden with symbols reflecting the strength of memory, resistance, and hope: the key of return, the watermelon, the Palestinian flag, the olive tree, the bandage, and the colors of unity between Mali and Palestine.

In her speech during the event, Mrs. Yasmin Sisi, Vice President of the Union of Ambassadors and Honorary Consul of Slovakia, affirmed that this event embodies an elevated aspect of solidarity through which the Malian people express their moral commitment to Palestine. She considered art to be a universal language for creating peace, preserving hope, and connecting peoples. She pointed out that each painting carries a part of Mali's spirit, a part of Palestine, and a part of Gaza, which needs to feel today more than ever that the world does not abandon it.

Mrs. Sisi also reviewed the artistic symbols proposed by the workshop to inspire the participants, including:

 • The key: a symbol of memory and return, held by many Palestinians including Ambassador Hassan Al-Balawi.

 • The watermelon: the hidden cultural symbol that represented the Palestinian flag during times of prohibition.

 • The olive tree: a symbol of life, peace, and deep roots.

 • The Peace Monument in Mali: an expression of Mali's longing for lasting peace.

 • Hind Rajab and Maryam Sisi: symbols of childhood and innocence that have been violated by tragedies in Gaza and Mali alike.

For his part, the Ambassador of Palestine to Mali, Hassan Al-Balawi, expressed his deep appreciation for this humanitarian initiative, affirming that the Palestinian people will see it with great love and profound gratitude. He pointed out that art has been one of the pillars of the Palestinian revolution since the mid-1960s, and many artists have painted with their blood while poets paid the price of their lives for their stances, especially in the Gaza Strip during the last war.

Ambassador Al-Balawi clarified that the paintings will be displayed first at the embassy in Bamako and then transported to Gaza when circumstances allow, so that they can reach the Palestinian children along with messages of love and solidarity coming from Mali and from many ambassadors and diplomats who participated in the painting from countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Cuba, France, Canada, and Tunisia, in addition to the Director of the Europe Department in the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

This initiative was not just a painting workshop, but a space for collective healing, as participants saw that art helps them transform pain into light, wounds into messages, and solidarity into tangible actions. All the children, women, men, artists, and diplomats expressed their feelings with a single brush towards Gaza, reaffirming Bamako's deep moral and humanitarian connection to the Palestinian cause.

Each painting will carry the signature of its creator and the country they represent, in a direct message to the children of Gaza that they are not alone, and that the children of Mali are painting for them just as the children of Palestine will later paint for Mali, in an artistic and popular exchange embodying one of the noblest languages of dialogue and solidarity.

Bamako has proven on this evening that art is capable of transcending borders, and can be an act of resistance, healing, and love, and that Mali, the country of solidarity and courage, continues to open its arms to the world and its just causes.

From Bamako to Gaza… paintings travel to places where steps are still unable to reach.